Pokemon Retrogression: A Pokemon Fanfic
by animetomboy2
Summary: To retrogress means to go back into an an earlier state, typically a worse one. Join trainer Mizuki Josho on her journey to becoming a gym leader, but the test ahead of her may be harder than she thinks! Wanna know what this is all about? You'll just have to read it!
1. Chapter 1: Trainer Days

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything of the Pokemon series, the only thing I own is my characters and this idea.

**Author's Note: **I know I'm in the process of another story, but until I am ready to post the new chapter to that one, I thought you guys might enjoy taking a look at my new story Im working on to keep yourselves occupied. I thought you might like this one, it's a fun read. Well in my opinion. Enjoy everyone! And I promise to have the other chapters to that KnM fanfic up soon!

**Pokemon: Retrogression**

**Chapter 1: Trainer Days**

Have you ever had an experience where you feel you're going back to someone that you formerly were? Like, say, you have taken all these steps to become what you are and then suddenly, you have to start all over again? Could you imagine that happening to you? ….Well, it's what's happening to me, and there's nothing I can do about it.

You see, I always dreamed of being a gym leader one day. Ever since I started my pokemon journeys I wanted to be one, I thought it would be the coolest thing in the world. But, that was when I was 10 and still just a beginner trainer with one starting pokemon and no experience. Now, I'm 13 and I've gained plenty of knowledge and experience since I began this whole thing. I've won all 8 badges from the Kanto region. I've gone to the Indigo Plateau and battled till I won there too. With these accomplishments under my belt, I can finally say, I was eligible to become a gym leader. Finally!

When I first heard the news that I could be a gym leader, I was the happiest person on the planet. There wasn't a force that could stop my enthusiasm. But, then there was the mention of a test. A test to measure you're capability and worth as a trainer and individual, to see if you're ready to become a gym leader. Well, that was understandable. I wouldn't think they would want just anyone walking in and claiming the title of 'gym leader', so a test had to be administered. But, what I didn't know was that the test to certify you as a gym leader or not was different for each candidate eligible….

"What? You've gotta be kiddin' me! This isn't fair!" I exclaimed very animatedly, having just received the test I was to take in order to certify myself as a gym leader.

"I'm sorry, it's the only way. This is the best test we could think of to give you. We always try to spice things up a little more each year and think of new tests to give newer trainers. And in my professional opinion, I think this will give you the perfect opportunity to start fresh again. Who knows? You may even learn more about yourself along the way. Gym leaders are supposed to have experience and some sort of unique wisdom that you can't find anywhere else. This wisdom and experience is shown in the ways that they battle, and distributed through the badges they award. Neither of those things do you have, Mizuki." A professor I'd come to know more personally, spoke quite casually to me. He wasn't even looking me in the eye. He was fixing his lab coat, or playing with his mustache; He was doing anything else to avoid eye contact with me, which I found extremely irritating. That wasn't cool.

"Sir, look. Isn't there something else I could do? I… I could round up a whole herd of Taurus and bring them to you for study, but I could only use one pokemon. Or, or… I could beat a Gyarados underwater! I would just need the scuba equipment. Or… I could… dosomethingelse… anything but this, please professor. I'm begging you, ANYTHING but this." I pleaded, hopefully now he'd reconsider.

Just as the professor was about to speak, my brother showed in the doorway, leaning on the panel of the doorframe that was opposite where the door was. He was chewing gum much like a Miltank; Another thing I found irritating. He interrupted the professor and spoke quite bluntly, "Get over it ya drama queen. Stop being such a crybaby and just go do it already. Get it over and done with." He walked into my room and sat down in one of my comfiest chairs. My teal eyes watched him as he moved, carefully. He was definitely someone I didn't trust in my room. "You've already beaten these guys right? So what's the use in crying over it? Just go do it. It ain't a big deal. Unless you're too chicken."

"I'm not chicken!" I responded.

"Then prove it. Prove it to me. Because right now all I see is weakness and laziness. That isn't what being a pokemon trainer is about. You're just like the water Mizuki… worthless and lazy." He said blowing a bubble and popping it right in my face. He got up and walked right out of the room, not wanting to be around for my explosion, if there was going to be one at all. He always knew how to tap-dance on my last good nerve. So put it this way; There were times when he was right, and there were times where I just hated his guts; This was one of those times where it was both….

"Alright, fine…. I'll do it, professor." I pouted as I accepted the challenge. His smile instantly returned and he looked at me in the eye again, rushing to shake my hand.

"Marvelous! I shall notify everyone at once!" He rushed out of my home and back to his pokemon lab to do some business he had to attend to.

I sighed and then looked at the necklace around my neck. Lifting it up, one would notice it was the Cascade badge made into a necklace charm. I looked at it for a good minute and then at the bag I'd used on all of my adventures. "Looks like I'm going to be using you again my old friend. We have another long journey ahead of us." I smiled and started to pack my things in it.

Professor Morgan, that was his name, had then called me at my house, which wasn't too far away from his lab. Instantly, I picked up.

"Hello?" I answered calmly.

"Ah, you seem to be doing better. Well, I'm just calling to let you know that I've arranged everything and notified all the gym leaders that they shall be receiving a new challenger soon." He hung up cheerfully. I sighed contently and hung up as well.

Yes, so they would be receiving a new challenger soon. That challenger was me. Mizuki Josho, 13 years old and ready to achieve my dreams.

[END OF CHAPTER 1.


	2. Chapter 2: With Strength of a Boulder

**DISCLAIMER: **What I said in the last chapter, I don't own anything from Pokemon but my characters and ideas. ^^

**Chapter 2: With the Strength of a Boulder**

And as planned, I was on the road to becoming a gym leader. My dream, finally realized! But, all great legends and gym leaders alike had to start somewhere right? So I supposed that this was where they did, taking their tests to become qualified to be where they are now. And hey, I've got another cliche for you guys; Every great journey starts with one step. It's true, and I was about to take my first few.

"Alright I think I have everything. I'm leaving now, bro. I'm going to Pewter. It isn't that far away and I'll call you when i get there." I said to him on my way out the door. He was sitting in the house, on the couch, polishing his pokeballs that all the pokemon were in. You'd think he'd have the decency enough to take them out first before he cleaned the balls they lived in. And what's worse, he didn't even acknowledge me when I spoke to him. It's like I had to scream at him every time I wanted his attention.

"Hm? Oh yeah, cool whatever. Just go already." I looked at him, my cerulean eyes flickering with the lightest bit of wetness. I wasn't going to cry, he always did this to me. He was always a jerk, I just had to learn to live with it. I closed the door and started on my way, looking down at the ground as I walked. I would have been a lot better off if he had just acknowledged the fact that I was there!

…**An Hour Later**…

"Man… was the way to Pewter this long always? I don't remember it being this way last time. If I would have known I'd be out here forever, I would have just faced Misty first. At least she would have been right there. I'm from Cerulean." I whined as I walked, no, more like trudged, further on my way to Pewter City. That's when a voice called out to me. A slightly older sounding voice than my own. And it was a girl too.

"Hey, wait! Did you just say you were going to Pewter City?" I turned around and was met with a girl who looked to be about 2 years older than me, so 15 ish? She looked to have these chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair. And she was definitely bulky looking, she obviously had some muscle to her. She looked to be a girl I didn't want to tamper with, or get angry.

"Yes." I answered meekly.

"Well mind if I tag along? I'm from Pewter and I had to go on a mission just now to get something from Pallet. Well the deed is all taken care of now and I'm on my way back. I was thinking we could go together since you're on your way?" She seemed to be harmless, despite what her muscle tone spoke of her.

"Sure, why not? I don't see why a little company would hurt." I smiled and she smiled, coming along with me. It was then decided that we should become better acquainted, after all, we were strangers at this point.

"I'm Mizuki by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Aya. Nice to meet you Mizuki." She smiled even broader and we were back on the road to Pewter City. She seemed to be excited to be going back home and I was pumped for the match ahead of me to come. Brock, I'd faced him before and won, I should be able to do it again… right?

…**Later When in Pewter…**

"We finally made it." I gasped for air. I was out of shape, or made an example of being that clearly by standing next to Aya who was the fittest around it seemed. I really needed to run more.

"Yep. Here we are. Do you need me to show you around or where the gym is?" She offered before she was going to go her separate ways. I shook my head no, trying to gather enough breath to be able to speak.

"No I got it, thanks. I have to go face Brock, but I know where it is since I've already faced him before. I have my badge and everything. This is part of my test to become eligible to be a gym leader. If I pass, I get my dream. If not, then I don't. But, knowing the pokemon league officials and the professors who put this thing together there's going to be some penalty." I smiled weakly and she giggled.

"Yeah no doubt. Well I wish you luck with your test. I hope you have the strength enough to beat Brock. He is a tough one after all." I nodded and began to walk towards the gym, waving a goodbye to Aya, the nice girl I'd met on my way here. I wonder what kind of trainer she was, if she was one at all. And now was the moment of truth, well, kinda….

"Pewter City gym. Pewter City gym. It's been a while since I was here, but if I just go down this way it should be…" I smiled and my eyes widened as I spotted the building that was the familiar gym, I'd visited in the past when I first started my journeys. "Right there." I started on almost a dash walk to the doors of the gym. I opened it and the door squeaked open. As soon as it did the lights flickered on and the rows lit up as I walked down the rows. My eyes still found fascination with how that worked. And of course, upon the "throne" in the distance sat the gym leader, Brock. He smirked as he saw me approach.

"Why if it isn't Mizuki… I remember you. You put my rocks in the dust when you faced me. I was an easy win for you and all your water types." He chuckled, remembering when I was a bit younger than I was now.

"Yeah, well I'm back. Have you got the notification as to why I'm here?" He nodded.

"Yes, I have and all I have to ask is; Are you ready? It won't be as easy this time around." He blew up a pokeball in his hand to fit its complete size. I stepped into the challenger's spot once more feeling so nostalgic. My bag was placed on the ground and I picked one of the pokeballs off my belt and blew it up to fit my hand as well. I smirked.

"Of course. I was born ready."

"Alright then." He threw the pokeball and released a pokemon called Geodude.

"Geodude, how are you doing buddy? It's been a long time since I've battled you. Well, I have just the pokemon to send out now. I call out, Wartortle!" Wartortle appeared and growled intensely, ready for battle. Things were certainly getting intense at the moment and I could feel the ground beneath my feet become almost invisible. My nerves were starting to get to me, not good. Since when was I so nervous? Alright, calm down Mizuki, you can do this… you can do this!

"Are you ready for this Mizuki?" I nodded and he began to call out the attacks. "Alright then! Geodude use rock smash!" Geodude did as commanded and began to hurl rocks at my Wartortle. I needed to think fast.

"Wartortle! You need to dodge them! Quick dodge them and try using a skull bash attack on the Geodude!" Wartortle did just that and started on its dash towards the floating rock. Geodude remained where he was and didn't move, not even the impact moved him. Brock crossed his arms in satisfaction finding great amusement in what I thought would work. I however, opened my eyes with sheer surprise as to why it didn't. Had my strategy begun to go downhill this early in the battle?

"But why… why didn't…?" I questioned and he interrupted.

"Surprised Mizu? Geodude is a rock, a solid hard rock. Anything physical is not a smart idea. Why is this? Well you're smart, you should be able to figure that one all for yourself." He smirked.

"Duh! Because rocks are really really hard. And you can't break them with sheer strength from a physical attack. I should have thought of that before I used skull bash. Hey War, you okay buddy?" I called out to him and he shook off the dizziness that he was feeling, giving me a thumbs up. "Alright we're okay to give it another shot! This time I want you to fire a water gun at Geodude!" As I did that, Brock seemed to smirk again and Geodude dodged it without a command. Geodude began to deflect the water back at my Wartortle with almost all of its force by using one of the rocks he didn't throw as a shield. Now there was a ton of water being hurled at me instead of rocks…. great. I sighed. Was there any other surprises I wasn't ready for? Since when did Brock become such a strategist? He wasn't this hard to beat the last time I was here. It seemed every attempt I gave he was able to reverse on me. What was this guy's deal?

"Are you surprised Mizuki?" He asked again, satisfied with his display.

"You were holding back on me Brock! You didn't verse me with your full power and strategy like you are now!" I screamed at him. He chuckled. "I hardly see how this is funny!"

"You remind me of an old friend I used to have and I'll say the same thing to you that I did to her… You know for a water pokemon trainer, you're quite the hothead." He chuckled, finding amusement in his witty comment. I gave an unamused glare at him before finding myself out of options but to try to exploit his weakness by using both strategy and force. The type effectiveness would help, but I needed to improvise, it's not like I had any idea how to do what I needed to. I took a big breath in, alright here we go Mizuki!

"Alright Brock. You make the next move, I insist." I smiled. He looked intrigued.

"Alright but don't say I didn't warn you. Geodude, use Earthquake!" He brought out one of the heaviest attacks right away. This early? Luckily, I was prepared. He always did seem to favor that attack when things were in his favor. I smirked.

"Wartortle jump up in the air and avoid the Earthquake!" And he did just that as the Earth beneath us split open. "Alright now fill the cracks with water from a water gun! Put as much water in the cracks as you can buddy!" Wartortle began to squirt out a lot of water from his mouth and fill each and every crevice made by the Earthquake with his water. Brock seemed perplexed at all that was happening right now and too confused was he to fight, which was just my luck. When the water had settled into the cracks a bit, it was my turn to make this into my own game. "Alright Wartortle good boy! Now, swim underwater and make the water rise in a surf attack, fill this whole arena will water!" Wartortle went underwater and did as commanded, finding his water to rise enough to be thrown down at Geodude, flooding the whole arena with water. Now there was no escape for Geodude even if he wanted to. And he was soaking wet too, yes!

"Oh no Geodude! Are you alright?" Before Geodude was able to give an okay response, I commanded another attack from Wartortle.

"Go Wartortle use bubblebeam!" He spitted out some bubbles towards his opponent Geodude who was just barely managing to stay afloat in the air. The surf attack hit him pretty hard. And the bubblebeam was the thing that did him in. That was one pokemon down, only 2 more to go? He didn't set the parameter, but I began to celebrate. "Yes! Way to go pal! That's one down, now we have to defeat his others! Stay strong War!" He cried out his name healthily, even though there were signs he was beginning to get tired on his coat. Brock called back Geodude.

"Geodude, return. I have to say, that was an awesome tactic. And I'll spare you the extension of 3 pokemon. I think it would be better to go with the two on two. And so for this round, I'm going to send out… Onix! Is your Wartortle up to the task?" He smiled as the giant rock snake appeared and roared. I looked up with mere bits of fright in the gleams of my eyes. Onix was huge. I barely had a chance to gulp before he began to call out attacks from the humongous creature in front of me.

"Alright Wartortle, this one's gonna be tough. Get ready!" Wartortle readied himself for the upcoming battle ahead of us.

"Alright Onix! Let's start this off with a vice grip on Wartortle! Use your sheer strength to beat it!" Onix grabbed hold of a moving Wartortle in his last attempts to dodge his rock hard tail. But his attempts were all proven futile as soon as Onix grabbed him and began to crush him with the force and strength both of his rock body. Wartortle cried out in pain and was suffering up there. My eyes began to open in shock at what Brock was allowing to happen in his arena. This cruelty…

"Wartortle hang in there buddy! Try and wriggle your way out of his grip! I know you can do it! Try and loosen yourself with water!" As Wartortle tried to do that, all Onix did was roar again and tighten the gip of his tail squeezing around Wartortle's small little body. He yelled out in even more intense pain than before. He was being tortured and all for the sake of my winning this match. He truly did have a dedication to his master didn't he? Eventually, I watched as he was being crushed to bits and, couldn't take it anymore. Tears began to gather in my eyes as I clutched my fists tight and my eyes closed and yelled out almost as if I was going through the same pain Wartortle was at this very moment.

"Stop stop! Stop hurting him! Wartortle is too weak to continue this match. I'll send out my next pokemon, just stop it and let me call him back." I cried out pleadingly with Brock who smiled and allowed Onix to let go of my Wartortle into my arms. I cuddled him softly, kissing the top of his head and recalling him back into his pokeball. I stated in a the very whim of a voice I had left…

"You did well buddy, now rest. You deserve it. As for my second pokemon…" I began to search my belt for the right pokeball to use. What could stand up to the gigantism and the immense force of his Onix? It had to be someone who was able to go underground and use dig to avoid Onix. But then again, that might not be the best idea, seeing as how Onix is a ground type. Man. Think Mizuki, think. Starmie might be my best option at this point. He could use psychic, electric and water type attacks, but I ought to save Starmie for my match with Misty, or some of the tougher trainers to come. I cringed, what to do? What to do? I grabbed a pokeball at random and inflated its size. I took a deep breath, all improvisation right? I had to have faith in my pokemon. I called it out, whatever it could be.

"What are you calling out now?" He questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Brock." I smirked and the light came out to form around a small stature. This would be my next pokemon. And it revealed to be…. Corsola! What the heck? Corsola? "What the heck Corsola? I…. guess I have to work with you now that you're out of your pokeball right?" I sighed.

"Not what you planned, huh? Well that's what you get for improvising. It's always better to have a set plan. For instance, I had a plan to use Onix from the start and it seems to be working for me! Pure strength is the way you need to go to make an enemy submit to your will. You called back Wartortle and because you're so distressed and relying on your innate feelings instead of your set plan. You're doomed to failure. But if you have a strong plan, you're going to win. It's a sure thing." He explained. So that was his secret to winning…. but what could I do with my little Corsola? Sure, she was cute and all, but how was she any match for Brock's Onix?

"Well if you say so Brock. I'm still gonna try my hardest to beat you!" I exclaimed.

"Alright give it your best shot! Onix… use rock throw!" And once more the pokemon opposing mine began to hurl rocks towards little Corsola. I really had to think on my toes for this one. I found myself commanding her to do the strangest things, but they were the first commands that popped into my head.

"Corsola! You need to get near Onix's head somehow. I want you to use the rocks he's throwing at you as a pathway and surf each one of them till your able to jump to the next and eventually get to his head!" Corsola nodded and began to jump on the flying rocks. She was growing ever closer to his head. Brock, again, seemed perplexed at my strange methods of battling and why all of a sudden I was having Corsola attack Onix's head. If she was in his face, she'd be at the greatest viewpoint to Onix, how was that helping my cause? Well, an idea began to form… luckily, here was my chance.

"What could she be doing now…? Onix don't stop throwing rocks at her, try and hit Corsola!" Onix did just that, careful not to hit me on the other side of the arena. But, it seemed no matter where Corsola was he couldn't get her. He was clearly becoming frustrated, and then he changed his attack pattern on me.

"Onix try a tail whip!" Onix tried to whack Corsola with his rock hard tail full of small boulders and though he missed a few times, eventually he got her. Corsola was flung back through the air and into a wall. It was only the impact from the wall that injured her, but otherwise, she was fine. In fact a part of Onix's tail had been cracked whacking Corsola since her skin was so hard. Onix cried out in pain as well as he realized a part of his hard rock tail was cracked. Brock found this unreal and soon Corsola was back on her feet. She wasn't going to give in that easily. That was my Corsola. I had hoped I trained her well enough to take on Brock.

"Alright Corsola, let's use your strength. Hit him with a strength attack, all the rocks you can gather to throw at him, do so." Corsola cried out her name and began to chuck rocks at the giant Onix in front of her. Onix did his best to whack them away from him, but some hit the giant stone snake. Great, now that was weakening him. "Corsola use a water gun but really blast him!" Corsola nodded and as fate would have had it, one of the rocks Onix whacked hit one of the sprinklers above our heads and it sent water raining down on the place, plus the water from Corsola's attack, Onix didn't stand a chance, but Onix was still hanging in there. "Alright he should be weak right now, go ahead and use a full force tackle Corsola!" Corsola hit the giant rock creature with all of her might and soon he fell, fainted. The battle was over and I had won!

"Onix, return." As the water continued to pour down on us in the arena. I smiled rejoicing in its feeling, hugging Corsola tightly and finding my limbs being almost broken by her rock hard skin. I giggled and she happily called out her name, cuddling with me as well. Brock approached us and smiled sincerely.

"I want to congratulate you on a job well done. You have managed to beat me again. You truly are an amazing trainer." I smiled and approached him as well, shaking his hand on a match well done, Corsola in the small distance on the ground from us, behind me.

"Thank you Brock, it was an honor battling with you again."

"You as well. Now I officially declare this gym for you, clear. I will print you a certificate certifying that you have completed all you can here with me. And you've also earned a medal, and a valuable piece of wisdom I want to pass on to you. Do you know what that lesson is?" He asked curiously.

"No, unfortunately I don't know that." He smiled.

"The Lesson of Strength. You came in here, unsure and nervous. I could see it in your body language. But you still had the guts to take me on, especially when you were on the short end of the stick. You defeated Geodude pretty quickly, but then I brought out Onix and you were at a loss when your first pokemon was defeated. You had to improvise and find a way around the giant size of Onix to beat him. And you did just that even when you surprised yourself with Corsola. You had the strength to call out when Onix was hurting Wartortle too much. You had the strength to rush in to battle with a pokemon you were unsure about. And you're a very strong girl in general Mizuki. You were clearly anxious but you stood in the face of your anxiety and hit the obstacle head on. That's strength if I've ever seen it. You're just like one of my rock team, Mizuki, so I'm proud to present you with this medal." He smiled and handed me the medal designed with a small rock symbol on it and on the top it read 'Pewter City Gym'. I smiled as I received it from his gentle hands and took it into mine. The joy I was experiencing right now was insurmountable.

"Wow thank you Brock. I … I really don't know what to say." I couldn't really complete a coherent sentence besides the one I just said. So many different thoughts were clashing together inside my mind, it was unbelievable almost.

"You don't have to say anything. But I will say this to you, good luck on your test and your journey alike. I know you can do it." He nodded meaningfully and I began to turn and go, collecting Corsola in her pokeball again.

"Thank you Brock! I'll be sure to visit you sometime!" I called out to him as I exited the gym. I placed the medal in my bag so I wouldn't lose it and placed the bag back on my back. Okay that was one gym down, now I just needed to beat everyone else all over again. Back to Cerulean I go! I have to beat Misty now…

On my way out of Pewter City though, a voice caught my attention in the pathway I was leaving behind me. It was Aya.

"Hey!" She called out to me. "So, how did your match with Brock go?" I smiled and took out the medal and showed her.

"See for yourself." I smiled proudly.

"Awesome. So I take it you won." She congratulated me. I nodded.

"Yep I did. And he taught me a valuable lesson I am going to take with me all the way on this journey. I just hope I can do it." I stated with a breath of joy. I placed the medal back in my bag and zipped it up. Aya looked like she had something on her mind though.

"Uh, not to bother you or anything Mizu, but … I sorta have a question for you." I looked at her curiously. "Well, there's not much to do here in Pewter and over the past few days I've been kinda bored and well, I was wondering if I could come along with you on your journeys. You know, I think that it would be fun and, you seem like a really cool friend." She seemed genuine. I blinked.

"Well if you want to, sure that's fine with me. Don't know what satisfaction you'd get out of coming along with me on this test though. But making a new friend, I'm always up for." I smiled and welcomed her to Team Mizuki. And so it was decided, we started on our way out of the gates, mumbles of our conversation fading out as we headed back towards my hometown. My next goal; Misty.


	3. Chapter 3: The Tides of Ingenuity

**Disclaimer: **The pokemon series and characters, besides Mizuki and Aya, all belong to its original creators. I claim no possession of Misty, or any pokemon used.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted something, but basically, this is the new chapter! How will she fare against Misty and her water types? It's a water vs water battle! Wanna find out who wins? Only one way to find out… :3

**Chapter 3: The Tides of Ingenuity**

And so were we on our way to Cerulean City. That was my home town, you know? Lots and lots of people from Cerulean appreciated water types just like me, and the famous leader of the Cerulean gym, Misty. I couldn't wait to stop back home and prepare myself for the upcoming match. No doubt that Misty would love a visit before the match and by the time we would hit Cerulean it would be about dinnertime….

As we walked, the small amounts of rubble beneath our feet made scratching-sloshing sounds, showing the apparent and slight fatigue we both had under the sun shining over our heads. Aya then turned to me, the conversation had completely died, till she asked.

"So you're from Cerulean, Mizu?"

"Mhm. Sure am." I replied casually. She seemed to really want to get a better sense of what kind of trainer I was, since, she didn't get to view my match with Brock. She smirked.

"Hm interesting. You did give off a certain kind of vibe when I first spotted you. I was willing to bet you were a water type trainer but I wasn't too sure. But if you're from Cerulean, that pretty much confirms my guess." She giggled and I smiled.

"Well you're right, Aya. I'm indeed a water pokemon trainer. Someday, I want to be the best. And the first step to that is my immediate dream of being a gym leader. And that's the test I'm on right now. I have to beat all the gym leaders again and learn some kind of lesson, that will contribute to my experience and knowledge of being a gym leader. And if I can beat them all, I probably will be certified as a gym leader." I explained.

"Wow, that's amazing. And how old are you? Because, you're still kinda young. So I'm just amazed that things are happening so fast. Then again, I have no desire to be one of the best pokemon trainers or anything. I view Pokemon as a form of protection, yes. But, I do view them also as a thing of beauty. Even if I don't like one type as much as the other, I'll still find some form of beauty within them. So I like to enter into contests and such and try to win them. I take good care of my pokemon and only feed them the healthiest food." She smiled and I listened intently, she was quite the interesting person. I waited for her to go on as she looked like she had more to say. "But don't get me wrong, I like to get down and dirty and battle sometimes too. After all that's what makes them the strongest possible they can be and it helps me choose which two of the species to breed together." She smiled. So wait, she was a pokemon trainer, contest contender, and breeder alike?

"Well gee, then you must know a lot about what is good for pokemon of all kinds and types. It's nice to know someone who knows how to caretake to the pokemon in ways that even the poke-centers don't have an idea of." I smiled.

"Oh please Mizuki, you're going to make me blush. You're too kind. But, yes, I do say having me along the trip might help you some, and I'll always be there to support your pokemon. After all, that's what friends are for right? But, you're pretty remarkable yourself." She smiled and relayed a compliment to me, to which I appropriately thanked her. And suddenly, the road to Cerulean City didn't seem as plain.

**About an hour later… **

"We're finally here!" I cried out as I spotted the entrance to my hometown. It was a small archway that read "Cerulean City" atop it. And then there was a sign that read: "Welcome to Cerulean City. Home of the Heart of the Ocean." I smiled; Not a thing had changed since I last left and it was nice to see everything in one piece still. The sky was a downcast orange with a bit of pink on its horizon. The clouds were turning a grayish-blue color as the little bit of sunlight was setting on the day. I checked my watch.

"Dinnertime!" I cried out and ran into town. The distracted Aya who was still looking at the wonders of this town, then realized me running off and snapped back to reality. She chased after me, trying to not be left behind at the entrance.

Eventually she found me within the city and talking to some of my friends, but my main focus was a girl standing amongst the people with orange hair. I pushed my way through and hugged her, or the part of her I could reach. Granted that she wasn't that tall either, but she was definitely taller than me, as she was older. I would have guessed her to be around Aya's height. Who was this mysterious woman you ask? Well…

"MISTY!" I cried out and hugged her tightly. She seemed a bit surprised at the sudden contact to her body, but more surprised to see me all excited and happy from what seemed like nowhere. She immediately turned to me to return the hug and to remark back …

"Mizuki. Oh, it's been a while since I've seen you last. How's my favorite little trainer?" Misty giggled and ruffled the hairs atop my head. Truthfully, I looked up to her like an older sister. And secretly, I wished she'd been my sister to begin with; It'd be a hell of a lot better than having the brother that I do now.

"Misty, I'm back in town to ask for another gym challenge. The professor wants to see if I am capable of gym leader status and to go around beating the trainers in the order I first beat them is my test. So prepare to battle!" I jumped off of her and excitedly pointed in a "cool" way, ready for it right this second. My idol, Misty, approached me and placed one of her hands atop my head gently.

"Fine, I accept your challenge. But, how about we get some dinner first okay? I'm kinda hungry, and I bet you are too." Then Misty's teal eyes caught sight of my friend standing behind me, awkwardly, in the background, watching this lovable scene happen right in front of her. Struck with a look of curiosity, Misty approached her and stuck her hand out to her for a shake. There was a friendly smile on her face and a kind aura about her. "Hi, what's your name? I'm…"

"Aya. My name is Aya, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Misty." Aya smiled kindly and took her hand to shake it. And though it was meant to be a light, very formal touch, Aya's strength once more got the better of her and nearly crushed Misty's hand. And in accordance with the pain, Misty tried to take it and hide it.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Aya. I take it you're a friend of little Mizuki here then." Misty smiled and let her hand fall to her side, where it originally was.

"Yes, we actually met when she was on her way to Pewter City. I'm from there, but I needed to go and do something in another town as of recent. When I returned, she was on her way out and I decided to join her. She told me she was from here, Cerulean City. And then I thought she must know you. But, I can honestly say, it's quite the honor."

"Oh, well that's the Mizuki I know. She always did love to visit me and watch the battles against me, I guess she learned from them. Many people say she's just like a mini me, but I don't see it. Mizu is her own unique person with a specific personality. Sure, she and I may be alike, but in the end, we're too different to compare." Misty giggled.

"Um, Misty, if you don't mind, could I watch your match? I would love to see the way you two face off. Mizuki, I know is like a little ball of energy, and you… you're the Cerulean City gym leader." Aya seemed to be having a friendly conversation with Misty. Meanwhile, I was playing with some of my pokemon, waiting for Misty to come and get dinner with me.

"Sure, I wouldn't have a problem with that." She replied and now was my time to interject.

"Hey! I'm starving, let's go get something to eat Misty! And then we're battling!" Misty shook her head in amusement and started to walk with me to the nearest ramen place we knew of, Aya following suit. Tonight was going to be one spectacular night. I could tell.

**About an hour later…**

"Alright Misty! Are you ready to battle?" I cried out determined to win this against her. I knew that she was going to go all out and show me her true potential just as Brock did. Things were changing, becoming harder, but I knew that I'd be overcome it if I really did try my best. Misty smirked and stood on the floating platform in the water across from me directly. This gym set was all too familiar to my eyes.

"Yeah, how does 2 pokemon a piece sound?" She asked.

"It sounds fine with me." I called back. Aya sat in the stands, entranced with the gym set and all that was happening right now. It seemed the atmosphere was just an amazing rushing feeling that one couldn't get enough of and that, might aid to my advantage in battle.

"Alright then let's get this show on the road! Misty calls Horsea!" The pokemon popped out of the pokeball in an almost blinding light, before fading and placing itself in the water. It cried its name cutely and waited for my pokemon to appear. I looked at it, analyzing it slightly.

"Horsea? So even after all this time, your Horsea still hasn't evolved? It's alright, it's cute. After the battle, and your healing, how does a play-date sound Horsea?" Horsea nodded in my direction, showing its approval of my suggestion. What was wise was to make friends with pokemon and show them all kindness. What was better, Misty was a close personal friend of mine, as well as an inspiration, her pokemon only added to the amplified image in my head. And her pokemon, I got to see every time I came to visit her here at the gym. Horsea, was one of those pokemon that I got along with well. "Well alright then. Let's go, Poliwhirl!" The pokemon materialized out of the pokeball and struck a fighting pose. The friendly expression on Misty's face grew.

"A Poliwhirl. I'm guessing you caught this little guy while you were out on your travels." She giggled and Mizuki nodded.

"Yeah, interesting story actually. See, I was fishing down by the ponds over by the woods near Celadon, and he was just down the way fishing for food. He looked tired, like he just trained or something. So I caught some fish and offered him mine, he didn't look like he was having any luck. He thanked me and I was on my way. Not long after did I discover the little guy had been following me. He wanted to be to my pokemon." I smiled, remembering the story. It was just so awesome.

"Well that was very nice of you. I would have done the same thing. What do you say we get this battle underway?"

"Sounds good to me! Poliwhirl start this off with a double slap attack!" Poliwhirl moved swiftly and did as told, attempting to hit the small formed Horsea in the water.

"Horsea! Use sludge bomb!" Horsea quickly spewed a dark cloud of messiness from its opening for a mouth at the approaching Poliwhirl. The sludge bomb hit and Poliwhirl, instantly stopped attacking, falling to one of the floating ice platforms, trying to clear the substance out of his eyes. He seemed to be sporadically moving, and that is when Misty gave another command.

"Horsea, continue with a tackle attack!"

"Quick Poliwhirl! Jump in the water to dodge the attack and to wash that icky stuff off your face!" Poliwhirl did just that in time, avoiding the tackle by Horsea. Horsea slowed down its momentum. Horsea now had a confused expression, confused about the location of my Poliwhirl. Now we had the upper advantage. I giggled in a small bit of confidence.

"Alright, Poliwhirl, jump out of the water and use Hydro Pump!" Poliwhirl took a minute to do so, lingering beneath the surface of the waters of the gym for just a little longer. He wanted to catch Horsea off guard and attack at just the right moment. Unexpectedly, Poliwhirl then jumped out of the water and quickly fired a hydro pump right at Horsea. Misty tried to command her Horsea to evade the attack, but I had hoped it was successful.

"Horsea! Try to evade it!" Horsea tried and looked around, trying to find some way to dodge the attack hurling right at it. But, it was to no avail. There was nowhere little Horsea could go and thus the attack hit. Horsea was spewed backwards a little bit, but got right back up to fight. Misty celebrated.

"Woo hoo! That's my Horsea! Always strong!" She exclaimed and did her signature pose which entailed her placing a peace sign in the air with one hand, her index and middle fingers, the ones raised. One of her eyes was winked as well. I sighed.

"Alright Poliwhirl, this is gonna be a tough battle. But we can do it. We just have to put our minds to it. Hang in there buddy!" He nodded and panted, obviously a bit tired from firing such a great amount of water at a higher speed than normal. Horsea seemed to be recovering as well.

"Okay Horsea! Way to go so far! Let's keep it going. Attack with Toxic attack. Don't stop firing until you hit him!" Horsea nodded and continued to fire the small blasts of poison at Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl, obviously, did everything he could to dodge them. And for a while, it was a game of cat and mouse, having Poliwhirl run and dodge, and Horsea chase and fire. And though this had just started, Horsea couldn't catch Poliwhirl in its toxic attack. There was a trick to this as I was beginning to realize! The more that Horsea began to fire its toxic attacks, the more its mouth was starting to become fatigued and its attacks would be slower. I could tell that Poliwhirl was getting a little tired of dodging all this time too, but he showed no signs of giving up. I smiled, taking pride in my pokemon's determination.

"That's it Poliwhirl! Keep it up buddy, you're doing great!" I shouted at him. He smiled and looked back at me momentarily, seeing that I was happy. That's all he ever desired. But, Misty's Horsea continued to fire, and that's when the tables turned on me. As soon as Poliwhirl had looked back at me, he went to step on one of the floating platforms of ice, and lost his footing, slipping and falling. Well, folks, you can guess what happened next as the toxic attack came flying at Poliwhirl. It hit, now he was poisoned. I sighed and she smiled. Horsea ceased fire.

"Yesss! Way to shoot Horsea!"

"Oh no Poliwhirl. Well, we'll keep fighting till you can. Just try your best, okay?" Poliwhirl managed to nod and stand up, cringing from the poison infecting him. He was ready to fight again and it was then that I softly smiled, once more, taking pride in the resilience of my pokemon.

"You're doing your best Poliwhirl, that's very admirable. I'll be sure to give you an antidote after the battle is through." Misty smiled. Poliwhirl did as well, thankful to have such kind and devoted trainers surrounding him. I smiled.

"Alright, so long as you're okay to battle Poliwhirl. Come on buddy, let's do an ice beam. Aim for its weak spot!" I called out and Poliwhirl nodded, summoning the strength that was quickly leaving him, and putting it all into the ice beam. He fired it at Horsea, and after that moment, collapsed, and tired. The ice beam, luckily, hit Horsea but didn't freeze it, or do anything to it. It didn't even touch its weak spot. Poliwhirl had fainted on the sheet of floating ice in the water, completely worn. I sighed and called him back to his pokeball.

"You did well Poliwhirl, now rest."

Meanwhile, Aya sat in the stands, almost chewing her nails off. She was on edge about this. It was rather intense and somehow, she'd never seen a battle like it. She was really enticed, and found herself wondering what pokemon I was going to choose next. I smirked, but in a good way.

"Heh."

"Why the smirk, Mizuki? Got something up your sleeve?" She smiled.

"Something like that." I placed back Poliwhirl's pokeball and grabbed another one off my belt, inflating it to fit my hand's size. I took a moment to breathe, this pokemon was special. "Let's go Starmie!" I threw the pokeball and Starmie materialized out of it. He gave a healthy cry and took a valiant stance. Horsea readied itself for battle again.

"Ah, a Starmie. I remember, you always did used to treasure him. He was special to you." She smiled sincerely. "I know that feeling, when a pokemon is so special to you. I'm just honored that you saved him for this battle with me. Our battles always were the most fun when we used our favorites." She let out another giggle. She did seem genuinely happy to be battling with me.

"Well, yeah, that's true. But I have to warn ya Misty, Starmie and I have improved. We have a special connection and a few tricks up our sleeves." I chuckled and got ready for battle. She gave me a look almost resembling: 'Show me'. I pointed my finger forward. "We're gonna start this off with a tackle attack!" Starmie started to dart back and forth, spinning and trying his best to hit the Horsea. Horsea was just trying to dodge the flying star and eventually, his evasion didn't help him as he was struck by Starmie's attack. Horsea was growing more tired now, I could see it. "Alright Starmie, continue this with a bubblebeam attack!"

"Horsea dodge it!" Misty commanded. And as Horsea went to dodge it, it stopped almost completely. It was tired from battling against my first pokemon and needed a rest, unable to really compete with the new standard Starmie was setting. Fatigued, he stayed where he was, and the bubblebeam attack blasted Horsea. Horsea was pushed back a bit and that's when Misty scooped up her fainted pokemon in her arms, cuddling it. She called it back to its pokeball and spoke to it softly. "Great job Horsea, you did well. Now it's time for a good long rest." Misty placed her pokeball back in her bag, reaching for another one and pulling the appropriate ball out, inflating it in her hands.

"Alright, well, normally, I'd go the safer route, but today I'm feeling lucky. Alright let's do this Tentacruel!" Tentacruel materialized from his pokeball and loomed down at me. He wasn't as big as the pokedex made him out to be, but still he instilled fear into me by his eerie stare. I shivered once.

"Alright Starmie, you can take him. Size means nothing! We just have to stayed focused!"

"Alright Tentacruel, let's start this off with a water gun attack! Hit her Starmie right in the gemstone!" Tentacruel started to fire off blasts of water in an attempt to hit Starmie. I called out quickly to Starmie.

"Starmie dodge it!" Starmie, moving swiftly, was able to dodge most of the water blasts coming from Tentacruel, but, some got the best of him and hit him, thankfully, it was not in the jewel in his center. I called out once more, "Starmie! Are you okay?" Starmie shook the water residue off of him and stood tall and proud once more. He cried healthily, ready for another round. I thought to myself…

_'Okay, all I need to do is beat this pokemon and I win against the Cerulean City gym. I just need to stay calm and focused. Tentacruel is a water and poison type pokemon, and so, I have to be careful, because at any moment, she could unleash a poison attack on me and then both my pokemon would be poisoned. Misty's hard to read. But, so far, she just seems to be attacking me with water attacks with this one. I wonder why… is she trying to use the environment to her advantage. I see, she probably has some trick up her sleeve to use once Starmie is tired. I'll have to watch out. Okay here we go Mizuki!' _

"Starmie! We're gonna have to go in for a psychic attack!" Starmie did so and the Tentacruel felt the impact. "YES!" I cried out. Misty only smiled to herself.

"Tentacruel, use ice beam and freeze the field over, close in as much as you can whilst still leaving yourself room." And within minutes, the entire field was covered with ice. I wondered what she was doing, could this be the trick?

"Whoa, Misty, what'd you freeze the field for?" I blinked in confusion. Starmie, who had jumped in the air for that psychic attack, tried to land back down on the plated ice that once was the water and found himself having a hard time standing on it. He was slipping everywhere, despite being an able bodied water type pokemon. "Oh no! Starmie!" I cried out. "So that was your plan. Freeze over the field, making it harder for me to operate with Starmie. If Starmie can't stand, the only other option he has is to be flying through the air in a tackle attack. Not only will that become tiring to Starmie, but he can't attack otherwise while using tackle. You're quite the intelligent one, Misty."

"Thanks, you're pretty intelligent yourself for figuring my plan out." I smiled, a compliment from my idol. YAY.

"Well, alright then. We're just gonna have to work through this, since Starmie isn't a fire type, we can't melt the ice. Starmie, you ready for this buddy?!" He cried healthily. He knew just what we were doing. I closed my eyes and he tried his best to stabilize himself on the ice and hone in on relaxing, using a bit of a psychic wave. I kept my eyes closed. But, something Misty would have started to notice; My necklace, the cascade badge, was glowing faintly.

"Whoa, Mizuki. This is certainly a new trick. What is it you're doing?" She smiled and wanted to know. I opened my eyes and they were glowing a white color, Starmie didn't move, only his gem began to glow slightly. "Allow me to explain." I had an undertone to my voice, the link always did that. "Starmie is a water type pokemon. But, he's also psychic. Psychic can be used in many ways, I've found one of those alternate ways. Instead of using it to attack you, I have developed a way to link myself to Starmie, thus we are connected. I don't need to verbally command him to attack, I can think the command and he'll carry it out as wished. But, on the downside, if you hit him, it damages me too. That is the only drawback of this link. Starmie is one of the closest pokemon to me, I trust him with many things, perhaps it's safe even to say my life. And he's proven himself a great pokemon. We are now connected, as pokemon and trainer should be. So Misty, let us continue the battle." Her eyes went wide with apparent shock and some disbelief. Then a moment later, she crossed her arms and giggled, laughing to herself in pride and yet amazement both.

"You truly are going to be an amazing pokemon trainer when you get older. I would have never even dreamed of doing that with my Starmie, so it's amazing you've developed this with yours. Make sure you always take good care of that Starmie, Mizuki. And yourself too. Your brain would be a terrible thing to waste, I mean just look what you've come up with." She smiled. "I'm so proud of you. So let's wrap this battle up, and then we can catch up some." I nodded to her, hearing every word. Misty was truly a kind person.

"Alright Tentacruel, let's kick it up a notch. Go! Use toxic!" She cried out and I smiled, commanding Starmie to dodge it and jump into the air, psychically. He did just that and jumped, and before, Tentacruel could find the poison enough to fire another toxic blast, I commanded Starmie to use thunderbolt on Tentacruel whilst still in the air. He conjured an electric current and then threw it at Tentacruel. Misty's eyes widened with shock.

"What the- Tentacruel!" She called out from sheer shock. The call of his name made the pokemon cease firing the toxic attacks, wondering what his trainer was going to command him to do. Starmie's thunder attack reached Tentacruel and shocked him. It was powerful and to my luck, super effective. Tentacruel's large body thrashed about as it was electrocuted, breaking the ice that plated the waters of the field, letting the water flow again. The water only conducted the electric current, shocking the pokemon more, and driving him to his ultimate exhaustion. Tentacruel, within the next minutes that shock ended, had fainted. Starmie landed in the water, safe now that the electric had finished. And within another minute or so, I opened my eyes and began to separate my link from Starmie. I panted, feeling the amount of energy exhaustion on myself as Starmie had on him at the moment. The cascade badge around my neck stopped glowing as did the gem in the center of Starmie''s form. He was obviously tired, but still standing, and with that, Misty called back her final pokemon. That match was decided and won in my favor! I smiled in overwhelming joy, finding such happiness in the victory I'd just accomplished!

"Return Tentacruel. Well, well, Mizuki, you've beaten me again. Nice work. You're an excellent trainer. And you have once more proved that to me through battle. Even when I pulled out some of the stops I haven't used in years, you still managed to work your way around it and use the field to your advantage, that's the power of ingenuity, and it's the lesson I teach here at my gym. You have now learned that, while type effectiveness may be a smart choice, you need to pay attention to your surroundings as well and use them to them your advantage, or perhaps in this case, do both and overcome a present obstacle that stands in your way and continue to battle your hardest. A truly great trainer doesn't let anything stand in their way, and that's how I see you Mizuki. A truly great trainer who doesn't intend to let anything stand in her way. So I'm proud to present you with…" And she dug around in her bag for something. Meanwhile, in the background, Aya was celebrating with such happiness, she couldn't contain it. She was dancing and singing and having a great time, while the legendary exchange between "mentor" and "student" was taking place.

I looked up into her teal eyes with pride, and she looked down into my turquoise with much pride as well. Both of us, experiencing joy in this moment.

"I'm proud to present you with this, Mizuki. It's a medal, wear it, store it, do whatever with it. But cherish it. You have officially cleared the Cerulean City gym." Misty draped the medal over my head and around my neck gently. The medal read "Cerulean City Gym" at the top of it and on it was the city's symbol, waves for water. I smiled as it glimmered under the lights in the gym. Another stop done! Woohoo!

**A few hours later… **

It was now a deeper, dark night and I remained sitting in the pokemon center, after just healing my pokemon. The moon's light shown down in through the window and onto my medal. I was up, admiring its beauty, along with the other one from Brock I'd obtained. I smiled as I looked at it. Aya turned over in the bed across the room from mine to look at me. She spoke softly.

"Still admiring that medal?"

"Yeah."

"You should, you deserve it. Beating Misty and even Brock, I have to hand it to you, Mizuki, They're tough and you managed to pull through. I think what Misty said is true."

"Hm?"

"You know, all that stuff about you being a truly good trainer and all. I think it's true, and regardless of who you have to face up ahead, I just know you'll find a way to beat all of them. You'll become a gym leader. I know I've only known you for a little bit and we've only just become friends, but from spending the time with you I have, I can tell… I just know, you're destined to do great things." Aya smiled and chuckled. I didn't honestly know how to reply to that, so I smiled, laughed and then turned to face her, placing the medal back down and out of my hands, letting it fall where it may.

"Well, thank you. That means a lot to me Aya. And even though I haven't really known you that long either, I can tell, we're gonna be good friends." She smiled.

"Yeah." There was a brief pause between our speech for a moment, and then she remarked something to me. "But…" She yawned and stretched. "I'm tired, I need some sleep. I think it would do you well to get some shut eye as well. Well, Mizu, goodnight." And with that, Aya turned over to face the wall and within minutes she was asleep. I turned over as well, and remained awake for a few more moments.

_'So I'm gonna have to face Surge next, huh? He's an all electric type guy. That means that he's gonna be tough to beat. I mean, water conducts electricity. I just have to be smart and careful in my choices is all. But the journey there will probably be fun now that I have Aya around to travel with me. Yeah… I'm gonna be a gym leader.' _

And with that my eyes closed, falling to the vices of sleep. When I woke up; It would be a goodbye and then I was off to Vermillion City. Surge…. my next opponent.

**[THE END.]**

**Author's Note: **So, pretty awesome right everyone? Okay, let me explain about the psychic thing. Mizuki herself isn't psychic like Sabrina is. She doesn't have any sort of powers to be able to control the pokemon at will. Instead, it's an equal bond between her and her pokemon that allows her to be able to command Starmie telepathically. And in turn, there is a drawback, if Starmie would have gotten hit, Mizuki would have felt it. It's not something that is normally done, I know, but I wanted to spice things up a bit, and that idea I had formed. I don't know, I thought it made it pretty exciting. And anyway, Mizuki's had Starmie since she was little. Anyways, stay tuned. Another chapter will be up eventually and next she'll be battling Lt. Surge of Vermillion City. How will her water types fare against his electric? It's sure to be one interesting battle! :D


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